Electrolytic process.



H. H. BATES 1!: F. ADAM.

ELEUI'RULYTIG PROUESS.

APPLIUATIOK mum JUNE 12, 1911.

1,023,545. Patented Apr. 16, 1912.

, mother liquor can be used over and over residing at Joliet, in the county of Will and UNITED STATES Y PiiITENT OFFICE.

HARRY H. BATES AND roman ADAM, or JoLtE'r, rumors.

ELECTROLYTIC PROCESS.

To all whom it may concern.

Be it known that..we, H'ARRY H. BATES and Fonoun ADAM, citizens of the United States,

State of Illinois, have invented a certain new and useful Electrolytic Process, of which the following is a specification.

'This invention relates to a new and useful process for electrolytically treating certain chemicals, and particularly to such a process as carried on continuously so that the mother liquor flows continuously through a circuit or through a portion of a circuit, so that the again.

The invention relates particularly to the production of chlorates from the chlorids of alkaline or alkaline earth metals.

In carrying on the process to which our invention relates, an electrolytic cell of any desired form is used for bringing about certain reactions in the chemicals. Thus, in the particular process to which our invention re lates the electrolytic cell serves to convert the chlorids into the chlorates. It has been found by past experience that such a converting process may be carried on continuously by introducing new liquor into one portion of the electrolytic cell and withdrawing the treated liquor from another portion of the cell, provided the proper conditions are maintained Within the cell and within the several portions of the necessary apparatus as to temperature, density of cur rent, voltage etc. Thus, for example, if the temperature of the liquor within the cell is too low, the electrolytic conversion will not take place, or, if at all, it will not result in the production of the proper and desired products. In other words, temperature within the cell is an important condition and must. be maintained at the proper point. if satisfactory results are to be secured.

After the treated liquor passes away from the QlttllUlVlll' cell. it must generally be cooled, in ordrr to insure precipitation of the proper crystals. 'lhcrctore. it is a general proposition that where a continuous circuit of liquor flow is lunintauu-d the liquor must be heated again lu'l'ore it rulers the cell, or els means must he provided fo heating it to thc neces ary point within the cell. The ele tric. (llllilll lloning through the cell heats the liquor therein to an extent depending largely upon the voltage or quantity of the current, so that the 1 Specification of Letters Patent.

Application filed June 12, 1911.

Patented Apr. 16, 1912.

Serial No. 632,657.

amount of heating within the cell may be determined to a certain extent by adjusting the voltage or the quantity of the current. Now it is a general proposition that a certain minimum voltage must be maintained within the cell in order to insure conversion of the chlorids into the chlorates; and any voltage less than this amount will not insure such conversion. On the other hand, the amount of heating of the liquor vhich results from this amount of voltage is, as a general rule, comparatively small and not sufficient to raise the temperature of the liquor to that minimum temperature which it should have in order to insure satisfactory operation. Therefore, if the comparatively cool liquor is to be heated by means of the current within the cell, to the proper point,-then the quantity and voltage of the current must be in excess of that which is necessary to carry on the electro lytic conversion, and such excess quantity and voltage of current results in a dead loss of electric energy. On the other hand, in carrying on the electrolytic process to which our invention relates, we make use of the heat which would otherwise be wasted in the liquor as it leaves the electrolytic cell, because such liquor must be cooled and give oil" aiccrtain amount of heat before the proper precipitation of the chlorates will take place. Therefore, We use this excess heat, which is carried away from the electrolytic cell, for the purpose at preheating the liquor before it enters the cell, and thus we are enabled to provide a process wherein the liquor enters the cell at a temperalure such that no excess quantity or voltage of the electric. current within the cell is necessary to raise the. liquor therein to the proper tenqieraturc and maintain it at such temperature. 'Iherefore, our process is one in which the temperature of the liquor within the cell is not determined by the current therein. but, on the other hand, is deter mined by the eutcrinp temperature or the amount of preheating. Also, it is a process in which a large saving of electrical energy i made. and therefore :1 process which can he rarried on much cheaper than any other with which we are familiar. At the same time that \u- Hllllit use of the heat which is carried u\\':i from the cell by the electrolyte, we are enabled to regulate the amount (if preheating which will take place by regulating the time during which the incoming liquor will be exposed to the heat of the outgoing liquor. y this means we are enabled to perfectly adjust the temperature of the incoming liquor and therefore to insure the most perfect operation of the conversion process.

A further advantage which accrues from our process is this: that where the liquor must be heated solely by the current within the cell such current must be of excess quantity and voltage, as has been heretofore pointed out. Now this excess quantity and voltage of current tends to deteriorate the quality of the resulting product, so that the product is not so pertect as is the product resulting from our process, in which no excess quantity or voltage of current is required.

In the drawing we have shown, in outline a simple form of mechanism for carrying on our improved process. It will be understood that this drawing illustrates only one of a large number of possible arrangements, any one of which would still incorporate the gist of our invention.

In the drawing, the electrolytic cell is designated by the numeral 1. lVe are not here concerned with its exact construction and characteristics, beyond the fact that it should be an electrolytic cell designed and intended for the so-called continuous operation.

The electric wires for the cell are designated by the numerals 2 and 3. The liquor enters at the top of the cell through a unnel-shaped opening 4 and leaves the bottom of the cell through a pipe 5. A resaturating tank 6 is provided in which new chlorids are added to the mother liquor so that the mother liquor will be properly saturated when it again reaches the cell. From the tank the liquor flows down through a pipe 7 and asses through a coil 8, which is submerged within liquor contained in a preheating receptacle 9. From the coil the liquor passes up through a pipe 1 0 and finally discharges through the opening 11 thereof into the funnel 4. As the treaed liquor passes out through the pipe 5, it gains access to the preheating receptacle 9 and therefore surrounds the coil 8 through which the incoming liquor is passing. By this means the excess heat of the outgoing liquor serves to preheat the incoming liquor and, as before stated, the excess or waste heat is thus economically used and at the same time permits us tooperate the electrolytic cell without the necessity of passing an excess quantity and voltage of current through the same. I

A spout 12 is attached to the preheating receptacle 9. This spout may be raised and lowered as indicated by dotted lines in the figure, so that the height at which the liquor stands within the preheating receptacle may .upon whether the spout be raised or lowered.

By this means we are enabled to accurately ad ust the amount of preheatin such preheating, nevertheless, always icing occaliquor willstand sioned by the excess heat of the outflowing liquor.

Sometimes the liquor as it flows out through the spout will have been sufiiciently cooled by the liquor within the coil 8 so that it will be practically ready to precipitate its crystals. When this is the case, the outflowing liquor which leaves the spout 12 may be passed immediately to a precipitab ing receptacle. On the other hand, at times the liquor may not be quite cool enough to precipitate its crystals in a satisfactory manner. In such a case, a still furthercooling should be efiected, and for this reason we provide a cooling or condensing recap lacle 13 into which the treated liquor may flow through a pipe 14. A funnel 15 on the pipe ll receives the liquor directly from the spout. A cooling coil 16 is contained within the receptacle 13 and .throu h it may be passed any suitable cooling medium, such as cold water. A pipe 17 carries the cooled and condensed liquor from which the crystals have been removed, in the receptacle 18, up to the tank 6, any suitable form of pump 18 serving to elfect a continuous movement or flow of the liquor. Valves 19 and 20 may be provided in the pipes 7 and 10 respecti rely, for starting and stopping the flow of liquor. 7

While we have stated that in general our process is one intended for the treatment of chlorids for the production of chlorates therefrom, still we do not limit our recess to the treatment of such chemicals, or it is evident that there may be large numbers of chemicals which ma be thus treatedin the manner herein set orth. We desire, however, to particularly point out the fact that our process is one in which the temperature of the liquor within the cell is determined, not by regulatin the quantity and voltage of such current )ut, on the other hand, by regulating the temperature at which the liquor enters the cell. Further, we desire to point out that the heat which preheats-the liquor is derived from the outflowing liquor ilselfland that therefore a certain conservation of the energy is effected, so that there exists a certain total amount of heat energy within the cell and adjoining portions of the V circuit, this energy being restored to the cell continuously as rapidly as it is removed from the same. And for this reason there will arise times when it is not at all necessar to use the condensing receptacle 13, which we have illustrated, however, for the purpose of showing that such a condensing receptacle may be used should that become necessary.

Although in the construction shown and previously described herein the heat which is used for preheating the liquor is derived from the liquor as the same emer es from the electrolytic cell, still we do not'limit ourselves to such an arrangement, as we contemplate within the scope of our invention any arrangement in which the liquor is preheated to the necessary extent before it enters the cell, such an arrangement being used in conjunction with a system which makes use of a continuous'llow of the liquor.

We claim:

1, The electrol tic process which consists in passing a owing stream of liquor through a preheater and then through an electrolytic cell, and conducting the emerging stream of liquor containing heat into the preheater, the infiowing liquor being under the heating influence of the outflowing liquor just that interval of time necessary to raise the temperature of the inflowing liquor to the pro er point for electrolytic dissociation within the electrolytic cell, and the volta e within the cell being just suflicicnt to e ect dissociation of the li uor within the same, substantially as descriaed.

2. The electrolytic process which consists in passing a stream of liquor through a preheater and then through an electrolytic cell, and conducting the emerging hot liquor from the cell into the preheater to preheat the incoming liquor, the stream of incoming liquor being under the heating influence of the outflowing liquor just the necessary length of time, corresponding to the magnitude of said stream of inflowing liquor, to heat said inflowin liquor to the desired point for entrance into the electrolytic cell, substantially as described.

3. The electrolytic process which consists in passing a continuously flowing stream of liquor through a )rehcater and then through an electrolytic cell, and conducting the outflowing liquor from the cell containing an excess of heat to the preheater and bringing it into heating association with the inflow ing liquor, whereby the temperature of the stream of inflowing liquor is raised to just that point desirable for entrance into the electrolytic cell, and whereby the stream of outflowing liquor is cooled to assist inprecipitating its crystals, substantially as described. 4. The electrolytic process u'hich consists 1n passing a continuously flowing stream of liquor through a preheater and then into an electrolytic cell, and conducting the outflowing liquor into the preheater and adjusting the time during which the outllowing liquor is in heating association with the stream of inflowing liquor to such a point that the inflowing liquor is preheated the desired amount, substantially as described.

5. The electrolytic process which consists in passing a continuously flowing stream of liquor through a pro-heater and then into an electrolytic cell, and adjusting the tour perature ot the inl'lowing liquor by regulating the amount of pro-heat,substantially as described.

(3. The electrolytic process which consists in passing a continuously flowing stream of liquor through a pro-heater and then through an electrolytic cell, and adjusting the temperature of the liquor as it enters the cell by the amount of pro-heat to that point necessary to give the desired electrolytic action within the cell, substantially as described.

HARRY H. BATES.

FOLGER ADAM.

Witnesses WILLIAM O. MURPHY, B. H. BEACP 

